A MOTHER blames the death of her son on a faulty sat-nav as ambulance crews took nearly 25 minutes to reach him after she called 999.

Corey Seymour, aged nine, of Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, suffered heart failure brought on by a severe asthma attack while he was getting ready for school.

The nearest ambulance station was a mile away but the crew took 24 minutes to reach him.

The target response time is eight minutes and by the time he got to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, it was too late to save him.

Leaders at West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust have admitted there was a fault with the sat-nav.

Corey suffered the asthma attack on September 13 last year.

His mum Melanie Carver, who is pregnant with her ninth child, said: “How can highly trained medical professionals be so reliant on sat-nav?

"It has made me determined to find out what happened on that day.”

She said a car was sent for her son instead of an ambulance and that the paramedic did all he could before the ambulance eventually arrived.

Worcestershire coroner Geraint Williams adjourned Corey’s inquest last Wednesday, (February 15), as he waits for more information.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: “We can confirm that a fault with the satnav did occur.

“The service does not solely rely on satnav. Ambulance crews also have alternatives such as map books, and the emergency operations centre can advise crews with the use of GPS location systems.

“The coroner has not yet completed his inquest into the case, but the trust continues to assist him fully.

“We are saddened to hear of the death of this patient and offer our sincere condolences to the family.”

The spokesman added the trust had not been contacted by the family.